Awkward!

Posted on Mon Dec 6th, 2021 @ 4:46am by Captain Rhenora Kaylen & Remal Kajun

Mission: *CD*
Location: Bajor

The next morning Rhenora awoke well prior to dawn, her body and mind tired from the restless night. She dragged herself to the bathroom, freshened up, then attempted to look like a coherent being when she opened the door of their bedroom, only to nearly run smack into Ikar who had apparently been standing by the door.

“ Oops… sorry didn’t see you there.” She mumbled in her pre coffee haze before her brain put two and two together. “ Wait, hang on… were you there all night?”

“Shamefully, no.” He said with his head tilted low. “For approximately seven minutes, I was there.” He pointed to a spot two feet away.

The look on her face was priceless and would have won a prestigious award in a holo-photography competition had someone been prepared for it.

“ You stood there all night?... and there of course” She hastily added.

“Yes.” He posed enquizically and eloquently as always.

Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. He would have heard the unsettled dreams. To his credit he said nothing.

“ Would you like coffee? It’s the one thing I’m apparently good at making” She asked as she slipped past him and headed towards the kitchen.

“Remal has informed me of your enjoyment of the dark drink. Is this how one burns water?” He followed her a step behind, his footfalls barely making a sound despite his mass.

She tried hard not to be disconcerted with the familiarity of the war to the Jem'hadars’ movement. He wasn’t responsible for the atrocities of his people, they were merely pawns in a larger game where millions were slaughtered. Still - it made her uneasy.

“ Ahh…. it’s a figure of speech… it refers to someone who is less than stellar at the preparation of meals that require cooking” She stammered, too preoccupied with her own troubled thoughts to make much sense.

As she worked, he stood like a statue and watched. “Ah, I have heard many figures of speech used by your planet's politicians. I do not understand why someone would say one thing but mean another. It is a waste in efficiency and an exercise in futility.”

She paused, a moment of conflict of having to explain the more complicated aspects of language and political structure to a being bred for war.

“I’m not sure how exactly to explain it” She finally settled on lamely. She busied herself setting the coffee brewing and cursed herself again.

“Why does Remal’s mate mutter under her breath? Does it have something to do with the bump you carry at your midsection?” He was innocent to the idea of mating and there was no time like the present to learn.

If there was a colour darker than crimson she would have blushed it. “ I do not mutter….okay maybe I do” She admitted as she absentmindedly handed him a cup of coffee and took the first glorious sip of her own. Prophets willing Remal would be awake soon to save her the embarrassing questions “ And the bump…. Is the unborn child I carry within me, please don’t ask how it got there”

He had opened his mouth to ask that very question, but instead took a large drink of the coffee she had handed him. No sugar, no creamer, and no time to cool. He didn’t even flinch, though his face twisted slightly. After a moment he responded, “He called you a protector of the future which needed protecting. You must be of high value to him. I made the assumption Mr. Remal put it there for safe keeping. Is this not the case?”

The coffee she'd sipped a second earlier shot out her nose as she sputtered at his words. Remal had ‘put’ it there in a manner of speaking but the actual act of copulation was not something she intended to explain, not before a LOT of wine had been consumed.

“ You could say that” she finally replied after grabbing something to wipe her nose with. At least coffee was something pleasant to smell for the rest of the day. “ Do you like the coffee?” Too bad the coffee mug in her hands was not something she could hide her entire being behind.

He deadpan looked at her, “No.” And then he continued to drink the hot beverage.

She looked at him dumbfounded and was again lost for words.

Rhenora breathed a sigh of relief as Remal entered with a bemused expression, testament that he had witnessed at least some of the awkwardness that had just been encountered. She handed up a steaming cup of coffee and began preparing a simple breakfast. Fruits and breads and some lightly sauteed vegetables would give them ample energy to get through the morning.

Remal entered with a yawn, “Glad to see the two of you getting along. I trust I didn’t miss much.”

“ Good Morning” Rhenora replied a little too enthusiastically, thankful beyond all belief that he had broken the awkward conversation and saved her from any further embarrassment.

He sipped his coffee. “Yes it is.” He agreed. “I’ll be in the wash prepping for our morning walk, if you need me. I’d say we should head out sooner rather than later.” he made to leave, nodding to Ikar.

TBC